This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. INBRE funds are supporting two major initiatives at Bates College, both with the goal of strengthening faculty and student/faculty research. A new position, Director of Faculty Research and Scholarship, was created to assist faculty in identifying and obtaining competitive external funding. The Director also chairs a newly formed elected committee of the faculty, The Committee on Faculty Scholarship, which works to raise the profile of faculty scholarship, to identify institutional barriers to research productivity, and to work with administrators and the Advancement Office to overcome those barriers. INBRE funds initially supported the creation of this position, paying for the portion that directly supported INBRE efforts at Bates. In this reporting period, the position has now "graduated" and the College has fully incorporated it into the College operating budget. Secondly, Bates College has used INBRE funds to develop The Imaging and Computing Center, a new, shared research space (http://www.academiccommons.org/commons/essay/bates-imaging-center ). This core facility provides new research opportunities in genomics, microscopy and data visualization. This year, INBRE funds have purchased additional equipment and image analysis software for the center. An Assistant in Instruction, William Ash, is paid from Bates budget and helps train both students and faculty in the use of the microscopy and digital imaging equipment, and helps to maintain that equipment. Three courses involving 225 students used the Center this fall, and more will be in the current semester. An additional ten faculty and 14 thesis students have used the center for their research.